Challenge
A major aerospace manufacturer relied on an aging chilled water plant control system that no longer supported operational growth or long-term scalability. The legacy PLC platform limited system visibility and made it difficult to integrate additional plant infrastructure or expand monitoring capabilities across the facility.
The chilled water system supports critical plant utilities and includes five cooling towers, three chillers, two plate heat exchangers, multiple condenser water pumps, process cooling pumps, chilled water pumps, and facility distribution pumps. Maintaining stable environmental conditions across this equipment is essential for reliable facility operation.
The facility required a modern control architecture that could:
- Improve monitoring and operational visibility
- Enable alarm notification and data historization
- Establish a scalable, modern control architecture capable of incorporating future PLCs and operator stations for long-term operational growth
- Enhanced VFD performance for more precise chilled water control
- Minimal disruption during installation and commissioning
In addition to replacing obsolete controls hardware, the manufacturer wanted a system capable of evolving into a broader facility monitoring and data platform.
Solution
DSI designed and implemented a modern chilled water plant control system built around an Allen-Bradley ControlLogix PLC and Ignition HMI platform.
The new system architecture includes:
- A main ControlLogix PLC control panel
- A Remote I/O panel utilizing Allen-Bradley Point I/O modules
- A dedicated Ignition HMI server with alarm notification capabilities
- A dual-monitor operator workstation for plant visualization and control
- Development of detailed AutoCAD control panel layouts, wiring diagrams, and BOM documentation
- Creation of a comprehensive Control Narrative developed collaboratively with engineering and operations personnel
DSI collaborated with facility engineering and operations personnel to develop a Control Narrative that defined the desired monitoring, control strategies, and operational functionality for the chilled water plant.
Rather than simply duplicating legacy controls logic, the system was designed to enhance operational performance and improve control of variable frequency drives regulating the chilled water process.
DSI also specified and/or supplied instrumentation to enhance plant visibility and measurement accuracy, including:
- Temperature sensors
- Flow meters
- Temperature and humidity transmitters
The system architecture was intentionally designed as the first phase of a broader Ignition rollout across the facility. While the initial implementation focuses on the chilled water plant, the Ignition platform will expand to support building management system functionality and ultimately bridge facility operations data with production and MES systems.
DSI’s scope included panel fabrication, AutoCAD electrical design, PLC programming, Ignition graphics development, onsite installation support, system integration, startup services, and commissioning assistance.
Results
The upgraded chilled water control system delivered both immediate operational improvements and a long-term digital foundation for facility modernization.
Key outcomes include:
- Improved operational visibility through Ignition-based visualization and data historization
- Enhanced monitoring and control of critical chilled water infrastructure
- Automated alarm notification capabilities for faster operational response
- More precise VFD control for improved system stability
- Modern instrumentation improving measurement accuracy and plant insight
- Scalable infrastructure capable of supporting future plant expansion
- Standardized documentation and control architecture for long-term maintainability
Beyond the immediate system upgrade, the new architecture positions the facility for continued digital transformation. The Ignition platform will expand beyond the chilled water plant to support broader building management functionality and eventually integrate facility operations with production-level data systems.
By replacing an aging control system with a scalable automation platform, DSI helped transform a critical utility system into a foundation for long-term operational intelligence and plant-wide connectivity.
Technology Used
- Allen-Bradley ControlLogix PLC
- Allen-Bradley Point I/O
- Ignition HMI & Historian
- Industrial Server Infrastructure
- Temperature Sensors & Flow Meters
- Temperature & Humidity Transmitters
- VFD Integration & Optimization
- AutoCAD Electrical Design
